Kim Carroll

Photos with Kim Carroll

Biography

Cork, Ireland

Irish born composer Kim Carroll began writing music on piano at the age of nine. In his early teens he picked up a guitar and his music world expanded instantly. He quickly begun stretching the boundaries of the instrument by exploring alternate ways of creating sounds from the guitar. This has lead to bowing, hammering and deconstructing the traditional way of playing instruments and then processing the organic sounds he creates using vintage analog audio equipment.

Today he writes and records on over 40 different instruments including charango, ronroco, fretted violin, bowed guitar and bowed mandolin. Read more... of his compositions Carroll performs all of the instruments heard.

The soul of Carroll's music reaches back to his Irish roots blending his musical heritage of harmony and melody with his love of fresh, innovative sound palettes which tends to evoke a story in and of itself. His musical style is very much guitar, string instruments and piano based in nature, yet often utilizes classical instruments or entire arrangements for certain pieces.

Carroll's film credits include the Sundance award winning documentary, "The Horse Boy", the crime drama "Across the Line" starring Andy Garcia, and "The Uninvited" co-composed with Harry Gregson-Williams.

Throughout his career he has also lent his skills as performer, arranger and producer to other musicians, and has recorded and performed alongside some of his idols, legendary musicians, award winning artists, and composers. Carroll began studying music in Cork, Ireland at the age of five. He grew up immersed in music, ranging from traditional Irish pub music and Gregorian chants, to listening to his father play the piano in a local orchestra which his grandfather conducted for 50 years. His interest in the art form was further influenced by extensive travels across Europe as a teen,experiencing music, ranging from Euro punk rock, French jazz, to avant-garde orchestral music. Carroll went on to study music at UCLA and has since been invited there as a guest lecturer. He has also been invited to speak at the University of Southern California, Musician's Institute in Hollywood and Hamilton High School, Los Angeles.